


Extra Space Tail

by Storycollector



Category: Spark a Space Tail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 06:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15213494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storycollector/pseuds/Storycollector
Summary: A collection of extra scenes - one shots - that aren’t included in any larger story. They may be set at any point in time: Spark's childhood, his early reign etc.





	1. Chapter 1

This was something else. Among the collection of statues depicting the emperor as a planet crushing, loin-cloth wearing ox-strong titan, positioned in Zhong’s own bedroom, hanged a big painting of a tall willowy figure, standing on a mussel. Just like the statues, the figure in the painting, too, preferred minimalistic fashion choices. She was clad in simple flowy cloth that accentuated her slim figure. The small winged chubby piglets hovering above her head were downright naked for good meassure.

Spark stared at the picture of the ethereal, mythical being feeling as if starting to lose his own connection to the reality. As if Zhong’s life and reign couldn’t get more surreal than it already was.

The sound of steps behind his back told him that Vix and Chunk have just joined him in the room. The pig guard looks at the painting and sighs with relief: "Finally a painting that isn't Zhong's face. Nor his abs for that matter."

His partner examined the painting more carefully however. "Doesn't it remind you of someone?" asked Vix with narrowed eyes.

Chunk looked at her, then at the painting again. Then he called out: "Oh my kibble, you're right! It looks just like Harmony."

Spark turned to face his friends: "Who's Harmony?"

"He...I mean _they_ were a friend of Zhong’s. And before you ask, I have no idea how was someone like your uncle able to keep genuine friends. There were even rumors that there was a... _a thing_ between the two, but I don't know," Chunk shrugs, "really man, rumors at the royal court can be wild."

Vix raised an eyebrow: "Looking at this portrait I'd say there was a grain of truth in that one."

"What happened to her...err, them?" 

Chunk shrugged again: "No idea. We haven't seen them since the Shattering so we sorta assumed that maybe they have ended up among the casualties. Or they might've survived the Kraken wreaking havoc but not your uncle's reign though." Chunk mimics a hanged man.

“So, any idea what are you going to do with this room,” asked Vix

“Definitely not sleep in it. Either leave it for unpleasant guests or to store junk in it, I guess,” this time it was Spark who shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever, let’s go have a snack.”

“That’s the spirit, boy,” laughed Chunk.


	2. meeting the spirit of the deep woods of knowledge and wisdom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zhong and Harmony (an OC) meet for the first time.

Father said Harmony can roam the whole territory of the Institute, both the inside and the outside, as long as they never cross the fence. There behind the Fence was the Outside. The Outside was different from the outside of the Institute. For the Institute wasn’t one single building, it was a whole campus. The library, the college, the labs, the apartments for the scientists. The outside were the paths like stony rivers flowing from one building to another, the glass houses, the open gardens with short grass ideal for pacing brainiacs. And the unruly forest with thick bushes growing in unkempt lumps.

Harmony was allowed to speak with Father and Mother and Students and Scientists. No one else. Not that it was possible to talk to anyone else since other people lived outside the fence. It was like with the Inside and the Outside but Inside and Outside were in this case certain people. Inside were people affiliated to the Institute and Harmony, anyone else was an Outsider.

Harmony respected Father and his decisions, but a curious mind of a child is a thirst incarnate and some rules look better on paper than in reality.

One day an Outsider entered the campus. Harmony observed the Outsider silently gathering courage to speak to them.

∞

It was Xing’ idea. To greet the scientists as a group of loyal, hard-working subjects. To shake their hands and assure them that the royal family is interested in their well-being and the fruits of their labor. They have visited farms and artisan workshops but never any scientists. Until now.

At first, Zhong was excited from the prospect of seeing a bunch of ‘mad scientists’ doing wacky experiments, but the reality was dull. The scientists were normal. Half of them didn’t even wear lab coats nor goggles. Not that there was a need when they studied something theoretical like math or linguistics like Zhong learned. 

Everyone focused solely on the older prince. Typical. Xing was the heir, the handsome one, the popular one. He was like some kind of a human magnet for kibble’s sake. Sometimes it made the younger prince yearn for a chance to get lost.

Truth was, Zhong liked company, but he’d like a company that would actually listen to him for once. Not just suffer him around or outright ignore him the entire time. Which happened nauseatingly often in his life.

Once again people soon stopped paying him even the least amount of attention that was required to keep the decorum and Zhong, the second son of queen Xiaodan and king Khan seized the chance to get lost.

Maybe he will finally get a chance to see something really interesting. Some kind of secret experiment the head of the Institute keeps from the eye of the media. And the eye of the king. Zhong has seen the stern, stoic man already, though it was a rare occassion for the head of the institute to show up in the king's palace for he vehemently insisted, much to Zhong's father's dismay, that the Institute must remain Independent even if it cuts funds, instead of dancing to the ruler’s tune.

∞

The little boy wandered aimlessly through the paths and gardens till he got into the parts where the nature hasn’t been tamed and everything grew at its own pace and leisure. Zhong never realized that the Institute campus was so huge. The wild, unkempt forest was a jungle within a jungle. A thick one. Zhong began to feel uneasy and turned back planning to return

He heard rattling of leaves and branches. There was something hidden in the bush. Zhong tensed. The bush spoke. Or rather the person hiding in the bush. Bushes don’t talk: “Unidentified object detected.”

“If you’re talking about me, I’m neither unidentified nor an object. I’m Zhong,” spoke the prince without looking at the bush.

“Object classified as Zhong. Noted.” The voice sounded very young but used odd words.

“Is object Zhong a student? Or a scientist?” continued the voice. You’re yourself a scientist’s kid, aren’t you, guessed Zhong

“Neither, you bush weirdo.” Nonetheless it was a weirdo that actually talked to him. One that paid him attention. Even if they had no idea how to pay proper respect to a member of the royal family.

“Negative. Subject is not a bush, Subject is Harmony.”

“Who would have guessed,” Zhong rolled his. “Come out.”

Whoever was hiding in the bush ignored the prince’s order: “Not a student nor scientist…Is Zhong an Outsider?”

“Geez. Come out, Harmony,” said Zhong a little miffed that some smart-alecky hobo or nerdy brat is ignoring his order.

“Negative. Observe. Collect data. Analyze before interacting.” The talker made a short pause.

“Repeating question. Is Zhong-“

“An outsider? I guess,” he shrugged. Tired of being the passive one in this dialog, he said: “So you don’t want to come out. I get it, you’re afraid of me.”

“To be afraid. In other words: to be terrified of something or someone. Symptoms include:

rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling.” The bush-dweller contemplated Zhong’s remark before answering: “No, I’m not afraid of you. Are there friends?”

“What,” asked Zhong flatly.

“On the outside. Are there friends? How do you acquire one?” Repeated the voice with a hint of impatience.

“Why don’t you go and find out for yourself, weirdo,” snarled Zhong.

“Harmony can’t. Not allowed to leave the campus.”

“Well, why don’t you make friends with the people here?”

“Eh? Explain the definition of a friend and the process of acquiring one.” Zhong could hear the other’s confusion.

“This sucks,” he mumbled and headed out of the thick forest.

“Wait,” the bush wailed. “Please.” The bushes rustled as the person behind them walked to Zhong. “Please is right, isn’t it? One says please if you want the other to do something for you.”

“Yeah,” Zhong said with zero enthusiasm.

“I want you to come again. As often as you can-” “Why?” Interrupted him Zhong.

“Father underestimated my learning capabilities. The Inside provides many sources for acquiring information, still the sources are limited. Soon I will exhaust them. I need an outside source to teach me about the world.”

“You’ve only ever saw the Institute and the park, how do you know there is anything behind the fence?” Zhong teased them. He wasn’t sure he wants to promise meeting this weirdo again. The question about friends made him uncomfortable, angry even.

The other let out an angry harrumph sound. “I saw the globe and maps and I know that people entering the Institute grounds doesn’t mean they emerged from the void into existence or ceased to exist the moment they leave. I’m confined not stupid.”

“Ok, I will tell you about the outside, but I want to see you face to face. Consider it a rule of the Outsiders. If you want something, you gotta give something back,” said Zhong. At least he will know with whom he was talking the entire time.

“Positive. Agreement reached.”

The bush rustled one last time and the speaker came out.

Zhong was right it was a kid. A highly unusual one, certainly, but now he saw that words like weirdo or crazy didn’t do – him or her? – any justice. Something steered the brain towards expressions like unique or special.

They had white hair so long it dragged on the ground and had leaves and branches tangled in it like some kind of the spirit of the nature itself personified. Their lithe, petite figure covered in an oversized shirt and short shorts.

Zhong hastily searched through his short-term memory to recall their name.

Harmony smiled a not-quite-smile, more of a slight twitch at the corners of the mouth really: “Hello Zhong. That’s how you greet someone, right?”

“Hello Harmony, nice to meet you,” said Zhong and he meant it.


End file.
